


The Chronicles of the Elevator Car

by AlpacassoQueen



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2015-11-03
Packaged: 2018-04-29 19:35:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5139974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlpacassoQueen/pseuds/AlpacassoQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Instead of partying on his birthday, Armin is forced to socialize with a complete stranger when the two of them are trapped inside of an elevator. But he can't really be too upset about it; not when the stranger is a nice piece of eye candy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Chronicles of the Elevator Car

**Author's Note:**

> I just HAD to write something for my sweet pea's birthday! This was supposed to be a one-shot, but I think it would do better if I broke it down into parts. Hopefully you guys enjoy it ^_^

Armin had never been much of a birthday person, mainly because he wasn’t a fan of all the attention. For him, the perfect way to celebrate a birthday would be to order a pizza, invite his best friends over, and marathon Game of Thrones or something. That was actually the initial plan, until one of Armin’s best friends called him a few days before.

 

_“What’s up, Eren?”_

_“Hey buddy,” Eren yelled through the phone, making Armin flinch. “We’re going to dinner on Tuesday; me, you, and Mikasa.”_

_Well, that was suspicious. They never went out for dinner, even on special occasions. “Uh, that sounds great and all, but I-”_

_Eren knew exactly what was coming, so he cut Armin off before he could even say it. “Make sure you wear something nice.”_

 

And then the line ended.

It took about three minutes for Armin to realize that Eren and Mikasa were planning a surprise party for him. At first he was annoyed, because as his best friends it was their job to know that a party was the last thing on his wish list. He liked keeping things simple. But maybe that was exactly why they did it. A little change never hurt anyone, right?

So there he was, waiting for the elevator at 6:49pm in the lobby of Hotel Trost. It was no secret that the hotel had the best rooftop dining in the city, and for a considerable price they could turn the place into the perfect party spot. Armin was honored that his friends put in the time and money to do this for him, even if it wasn’t what he actually wanted.

The elevator dinged and Armin felt a chill run up his spine when he saw the sole occupant of the car. It was a guy; an extremely attractive guy with two-toned undercut hair. He was dressed in black from head to toe, including the little gauges he had in each ear. But what really caught Armin’s attention were his sharp honey eyes that were accentuated by eyeliner. It was like they could see straight into his soul.

Armin didn’t realize he was staring until the elevator doors began to close. He awkwardly slipped in and immediately turned his back to Mr. Handsome, who was now looking at him like he had vomit in his hair.

When the doors finally closed and the elevator began to move, Armin pushed the button for the top floor. His finger slipped a little before he could pull away, and Armin noticed that his hands were a little clammy. Not only that, but his heart was beating a little faster than normal. Was he really that nervous about the party?

It wasn’t like Armin was an introvert or anything; he just preferred to stay out of the spotlight. Even back in high school, he had to be persuaded by his parents and his principal to step up and make the Valedictorian speech. He had no problem writing what he wanted to say, but delivering it was an entirely different story.

Over the years, he dealt with his anxiety by just avoiding situations like that entirely. The only time he was forced to face it was during his second year in college. Public Speaking 101 was the worst 15 weeks of his life.

But that was all in the past. Armin took a deep breath and wiped his hands on his pants. Everything was going to be fine. There was no way that Mikasa and Eren would invite dozens of random people. And there was no way they would let the entire night revolve around him. They had been friends for almost their entire lives, so of course they would customize the party to Armin’s needs. He was totally overreacting. Everything was going to be-

And then the elevator stopped abruptly, causing Armin to stumble backwards and into Señor Hotstuff, making him grunt. The lights began to flicker in and out, before going out completely and returning much dimmer than before.

When it seemed like everything had settled, Armin pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight app. Without hesitation, Armin pointed his light at the ceiling to help illuminate the car.

“Sorry for bumping into you,” He said. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Captain Gorgeous replied in a voice smoother than whipped butter.

Instead of swooning, Armin decided to find a solution. He began to look around the car, hoping to find something that could help get them some answers. He noticed a red button on the elevator’s user interface that had a picture of a phone above it.

Armin pushed the button and began talking. “Hello? Can anybody hear me?”

He let a few seconds pass before trying again, but there was nothing but silence. Armin felt the knot beginning to regrow in his stomach, but this time it was from fear. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself down, but his anxiety fueled questions were already setting in. Why wasn’t anybody answering? What the hell was going on? What if nobody ever found them? Was he going to die in this elevator car?

“The power’s out again,” Armin heard Dreamboat say, and for some reason it helped ease his mind. “It happens more often than it should for a hotel that charges $110 a night.”

 _Well, why would you continue to stay here_ , is what Armin wanted to say, but he barely knew the guy. And he certainly didn’t want to leave a bad impression. “Have you been staying here long?”

“I live here.”

“You live _here_? In a hotel?”

Stud Muffin’s expression went from neutral to slightly defensive. “Is that a problem?”

Armin’s eyes widened dramatically. He realized that he probably had just done exactly what he was trying to avoid. “No, I only meant… I never knew that it was actually a thing; people living in hotels.”

“It is when your father owns it.”

Armin immediately connected the dots. “Wait, your father is Lucien Kirstein?”

“He is.”

“So you’re…?”

“Jean,” He said, extending his hand and smiling when Armin returned the gesture. “How about you?”

“Armin.”

Before he could say anything else, his phone began to vibrate in his hand. When he looked at the screen, he saw that it was Mikasa calling him.

“Sorry, I have to take this.” Armin turned away from Jean and answered the call. “Hello?”

“Armin?” Mikasa sounded a little out of breath, like she had been running around just before calling him. “Are you already on your way?”

“I’m already here,” He replied. “I’m stuck in the elevator.”

“Oh, my god. Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Armin glanced over at Jean, who had pulled out his phone at some point and started typing away. “Apparently, there’s a power outage. Do you know if the entire hotel is affected?”

“I think so. The power’s out up here, too.”

"Well, hopefully it won't be out for long," Armin jested. "I was actually starting to look forward to the party."

Mikasa was silent for a while. Armin had to double-check his phone to make sure the call didn't drop. And then he heard hushed voices and a bit of rustling before a different person spoke.

"Armin," Eren started. "How did you finding out about the party? Did Mikasa tell you?"

Armin laughed and shook his head, only to realize that his friend couldn't see him. "No, I figured it out as soon as you told me about the dinner. You're about as subtle as a flaming bus."

There was a loud 'Aha! I told you!' on the other end, which he assumed was Mikasa, as Eren spoke. "Okay, well that isn’t important. We need to figure out what’s happening.”

“I tried to use the help button, but nobody answered it.” Armin pressed the button one more time for good measure, only to get the same result. “Maybe one of you should go to the lobby and find out what’s going on.”

“I’ll do that,” Eren resolved. “When I get news, I’ll text you and Mikasa to relay the message. Got it?”

“Sounds good to me.” Armin went to hang up the phone, but stopped when he heard Eren call out to him. “What?”

“Happy Birthday, by the way!”

 “Yes, because getting stuck in an elevator on my birthday is exactly what I needed,” Armin quipped. “Thanks, though.”

“No problem.”

Armin ended the call and turned to look at Jean, who was still typing something out on his phone. Jean sighed and ran a hand through the front of his hair, successfully making Armin take a sharp breath. This guy was ridiculously attractive. There had to be something wrong with him.

He looked up at Armin and smirked. “So, today’s your birthday? How old are you, like 17?”

“Was that supposed to be an insult?” Armin retorted. “And no, I’m actually 21.”

Jean’s smirk only grew at Armin’s somewhat bitter reply. “Relax blondie. You just look like jailbait.”

 _Jailbait? Who says that to someone?_ At least Armin knew what the catch was. This guy was hot, but he was obnoxious as hell. “You’re making a great first impression.”

“It’s better if you get to know the real me now,” Jean sighed as he put his phone away. “I’d hate to disappoint you in the future.”

“Who said anything about us talking in the future?”

Jean scoffed and stepped closer to Armin, making the blond stumble backwards. “You’ve been looking at me like a piece of meat this entire time. And the only reason why I haven’t hit on you is because I thought you were underage, but it seems that isn’t the case.”

Armin decided to stand his ground. Jean was definitely right; Armin wanted nothing more than to take him into one of the many rooms in this hotel and go to town. But he wasn’t going to let him know that.

Armin crossed his arms and puffed out his chest a bit. “Your personality has definitely changed my mind about you.”

Jean leaned against the wall with his right arm beside Armin’s head. “Personality doesn’t matter when you’re lying on your back.”

“Oh my god,” Armin dipped under Jean’s arm and moved to the other side of the elevator car. He was trying so hard to fight the redness from spreading to his face, but he was 99% sure that it was too late. “You are way too blunt.”

“And you are way too cute,” Jean sat on the floor with his knees up, letting his arms use them as rests. “But it’s clear that you’re getting hot and bothered, so I’ll back off for now. Instead, why don’t you tell me a little about yourself?”


End file.
